Jeff Townes and Will Smith met at a party in Philadelphia in the mid-'80s and landed a recording contract after the 1986 New Music Seminar, at which Jeff won the Battle of the DJs. The following year, the ever-humorous duo's first single, "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble," was released on Pop Art Records. Their debut album, Rock the House, followed soon after. Smith, by then known as the Fresh Prince, abandoned his plans to attend college at MIT.
To many present-day listeners, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince are best-remembered for launching the superstar music/acting career of the latter, now known by his real name of Will Smith.
In their heyday, however, the Philadelphia duo played a major role in making rap music accessible to pop audiences, as well as younger listeners. Smith's raps were never anything more than PG-rated, and his genial, winning personality came through in the good-humored stories that many of his best raps wove. His partner, Jeff Townes, was one of Philadelphia's best DJs, an inventive scratcher who provided appropriately playful backdrops.
At a time when rap wanted to establish itself as the authentic voice of the streets, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince were often ridiculed as bubblegum kiddie rap -- they weren't aggressive, outraged, gritty, or urban enough to fit the prevailing hip-hop fashion of the time. However, in hindsight, it's clear that the duo's appeal was a natural result of simply being themselves, not from pandering to middle-class youth or posing as something they weren't. That's why the best of their work still sounds lively, full of youthful energy and breezy wit, and ranks as some of the most infectious rap of its time.
http://www.jazzyjefffreshprince.com/
http://www.djjazzyjeff.com/
http://www.myspace.com/djjazzyjeff
The JJFP Podcast
There have been:
5 Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince albums,
4 Will Smith solo albums,
5 DJ Jazzy Jeff solo albums and
3 compilation albums.
There have been 17 JJFP albums released over the last 20 years..
Rock The House - 1987
He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper - 1988
And In This Corner... 1989
Homebase - 1991
Code Red - 1993
